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(No Model.) I I W. A; KIRBY. SELF ADJUSTING ARM REST.

No. 525,766. Patented Sept. 11, 1894.

Attorneys.

THE warns man (10.. mow-um" wuuma'ron u c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM, A. KIRBY, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

SELF-ADJUSTING ARM-REST.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 525,766, dated September 11, 1 894;

Application filed December 19,1893. Serial No. 494,09 (Remod ls To all whom it may concern,

l 3e it known that I, ,WILLIAM A. KIRBY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, county of New York, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Self Adjusting Arm Rests, of

'the key board of a type-writer or other machine or instrument, in the use of which,,the arms of the operator are held extended, the ObJ ect being to prevent the weariness usually resulting from holding the arms, for any conslderable length of time, in such extended position.

The invention consists in the combination with a suitable support or upright, adapted to be pivotally connected with the leg of a chair or other floor support, of a pivoted arm socket or stirrup made adjustable in height to suit the arm of the operator and free to follow and conform itself to the movements of the arm, and in the employment of a flexible connection between the operators chair, or other floor support, and the arm-rest pivoted thereto, for limiting the movement of the latter and holding it in position convenient for use by the operator, as hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:-Figure 1 is a front elevation of a chair with one of my improved arm rests applied each side; Fig. 2, an enlarged perspective View of one of the rests detached, and Fig. 3 a similar view of the lower end of a rest having a clip for attaching it to a chair leg.

A indicates a chair, which may be of any suitable construction for use by an operator upon a type-writer or for any analogous purpose.

B indicates an upright bar or strap, preferably of steel, about three-quarters of an inch, more or less, in width and of sufficient thickness to adapt it to uphold itself in upright position, with the weight of the arm of the operator resting upon it, but elastic to permit it easily to bend or sway laterally under the movement of the arm resting upon it. This upright is made, preferably, in two parts b and b, the lower part b, being pivotally connected at its, lower end with a leg at, of the chair, by means of a through bolt 0 or by \means of a suitable form of clip 0, for that purpose, where it is desired to avoid perforating the chair leg.

The part b, above the bolt or clip, is provided with a series of perforations, or a slot, through which and the lower end of the part 1), bolts 0', 0 pass for securing the part b, to the part b and permitting its vertical adj ustment thereon for giving the desired height .to the armrest.

V The upper end of the part b' has thelower end of a curved strap W, of ogee-form, riveted to it, giving to'the upper end of the part b, a forked or bifurcated form, between the upper ends of the arms of which, at d, d, a concave stirrup or arm rest D is pivoted to swing freely to conform to the movements of the arm resting therein. This stirrup droops Within the forked end of the upright and is designed to conform substantially to the shape of the lower part of the forearm resting therein.

The standard B is free to swing backward and forward on the pivot c to conform to the movements of the arm, and the elasticity of said upright, in connection with making the joint at c a loose one, permits the lateral play of the rest to accommodate the side wise movements of the arm. 7

The standard is connected to the chair by a cord or chain c, of sufficient length to permit the free movement of the arm, as explain ed, but which, when the arm is removed from the rest serves to prevent the latter from falling to the floor and to uphold it in convenient position to be brought into use by the operator. The chain may however be dispensed with and the rest can be thrown back against and be upheld by the back of the chair, when not in use. One of these rests is applied to each side of the chair as shown. They are simple and durable,in construction, not liable to get out of order and can be readily adjusted to suit the height or position of the operator.

The benefit resulting from the use of the Ioo rest will be obvious to any one accustomed to operate upon the key-board of a type-writer, in the relief it afiords to the arm from the fatigue resulting from keeping the arm extended for a long time in one position.

By the construction described, the arm is free to belifted instantly out of the rest, there being nothing above it and this is regarded as constituting an improvement over that form of rest which is suspended from overhanging arms.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new- 1. In an arm rest, a thin, metallic, upright,

strap support, made flexible laterally and pivoted, near the floor, to a chair leg or other suitable support, in combination with the armsocket or stirrup pivotally connected with the upper end of said support, substantially as described.

2. In an arm rest, a thin, metallic, upright, strap support, made flexible laterally and pivoted, near the floor, to a chair leg or other suitable support, in combination with the ogee bracket secured to said upright, near its upper end, and the arm socket or stirrup pivotally supported between said bracket and the upright, at the side of the latter, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 19th day of December, A. D. 1893.

WILLIAM A. KIRBY,

NVitnesses: 7

WM. A. EASTERDAY, REXFORD M. SMITH. 

